as in hats
a covering for the head usually having a shaped crown
most of the acrobats riding the horses and elephants wore some sort of fancy headdress
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Recent Examples of headdresses
Pearls and portraiture and pearls are combined in headdresses; a gentleman’s glove is adorned with filigree and tourmalines.
—
Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
No paintings of stoic elders in headdresses.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Guests were served meals over several days, dancers in bright headdresses performed for the crowd, and water buffalo – the most valuable gift a family can give – were led into the courtyard for sacrifice.
—Claire White, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
People imagine being wowed by fire performances (that's Samoan) and fast-paced, hip-shaking dancing with those big eye-catching headdresses (most likely the Tahitian otea dance).
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Russian state media outlets shared images of the building’s marbled pillars and staircases as dancers, wearing kokoshniks, traditional Russian headdresses, performed.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The reshaping of the skull was intended to alter a person’s appearance and emphasize headdresses and ornaments that would distinguish them from others later in life.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Scott built the headdresses from a collection of feathers.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
Or from Peruvian Cumbi, the textiles reserved for Inca royalty, to alpaca wool Awaska fabric made for the people’s everyday protection against the cold, to the handwoven headdresses of Colombia’s Wayúu people.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
No paintings of stoic elders in headdresses.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Guests were served meals over several days, dancers in bright headdresses performed for the crowd, and water buffalo – the most valuable gift a family can give – were led into the courtyard for sacrifice.
—Claire White, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
People imagine being wowed by fire performances (that's Samoan) and fast-paced, hip-shaking dancing with those big eye-catching headdresses (most likely the Tahitian otea dance).
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Russian state media outlets shared images of the building’s marbled pillars and staircases as dancers, wearing kokoshniks, traditional Russian headdresses, performed.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The reshaping of the skull was intended to alter a person’s appearance and emphasize headdresses and ornaments that would distinguish them from others later in life.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Scott built the headdresses from a collection of feathers.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
Or from Peruvian Cumbi, the textiles reserved for Inca royalty, to alpaca wool Awaska fabric made for the people’s everyday protection against the cold, to the handwoven headdresses of Colombia’s Wayúu people.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headdresses
Noun
-
Hold onto your hats — and maybe your patio furniture, too.—
Vytas Reid,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, one end of the observation car had been filled by several women in white bonnets, joined by men with straw hats, footlong beards and no mustaches.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To expect small-caps to outperform in the 2020s, according to Howard, would assume a recovery phase from a market crash, the likes of which has yet to occur.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Written in white, all-caps text against a stark black backdrop, the singer-songwriter’s message on Instagram cut right to the chase.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headdresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headdresses. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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